The holiday season is upon us! The cold can make it difficult to exercise, and there will be plenty of gravy, sweets, and hot drinks to devour at Thanksgiving and Christmas. If you’re not careful, it may be impossible to wriggle into your skinny jeans when the holidays are over. And that’s why you need these seven tips to stay healthy during the holidays.
1. Plan Ahead
One of the reasons healthy routines fall apart during the holidays is because there are no plans in place. With festivities all over town, free drinks and overflowing sweet tables, the temptation to splurge a little can be overwhelming. Getting back in shape once all the festivities have ended can be a daunting task for even the most dedicated people.
Before the holiday season starts, be sure to have a solid plan for personal food habits, exercise, shopping, merriments, and anything else you tend to splurge on.
2. Substitute Healthy Foods
During the holidays, most people consume a large amount of unhealthy foods and treats. The statistics are scary, but the same feat repeats itself every year. From tantalizing chocolate delights, colorful candies, mouth-watering cakes, gravy-stuffed turkey, multiple course dishes and everything in between, the holidays are the prime sabotage of diet and exercise programs. But it doesn’t have to be that bad.
You can make a conscious effort to substitute bad foods for healthy meals. Cut your consumption of sugar, skip all the fat loaded pizza, decline the cakes, and cook healthy dinners at home.
3. Step Up Your Workout
It’s important to increase your workouts during the holidays and stick to your workout plan. Regardless of good intentions and careful planning, chances are you won’t be able to escape the temptation.
The holidays bring colder weather which makes it difficult to work out outdoors. It’s one of the reasons many people become heavier after winter. To avoid the winter fat you need to hit the gym more, engage in physical activities at home, and try to spend as much time outdoors as possible. Whatever you do, move more.
4. Eat Slowly
Eating slowly can help prevent overeating and all it entails. Research shows that eating slowly helps the brain realize the stomach has gotten enough food, kicking in hormones that help you stop before overstuffing yourself. By doing this you won’t have to deal with a bloated stomach, and the risk of accumulating unnecessary fat.
5. De-emphasize Food
The holidays revolve around food in some ways, but spending time with your family and friends can also be deeply satisfying and rewarding without food. Deemphasize food during the holidays and make deliberate efforts to chat, play, and have fun with the people that matter most in your life.
6. Travel Healthy
The holidays offer people more opportunity to travel, unwind, and escape the hustle and bustle of the city. If you are traveling, be sure to remember standard health practices. If a food looks unusual, do not eat it; take water instead of alcohol; do not walk in the sun for prolonged periods, and carry a hand sanitizer with you always.
Click here for great tips on how to work out while you are on vacation.
7. Sleep
There are so many fun things to do during the holidays that sleep can be affected. Depriving yourself of sleep can undermine your immune system and increase the risk of contracting the flu and other diseases that become rampant during the cold season. Do yourself a favor by having at least seven hours of sound sleep each night. After all, you cannot enjoy the holidays if you are down sick.
We want you to enjoy your holidays in full-health. For a limited time we are offering a free discovery session with Dr. Lilly. Call (425) 224-2476 and schedule your completely free appointment now!
